Books that explore feelings for preK to 1st grade

Did you know building your child's vocabulary can help academically as well as socially? Use these books to explore a range of feeling words with your preschooler, kindergartner and first grader.
Discover more books about emotions for second to third grade and fourth to fifth grade.

The Most Magnificent Thing

by:
Ashley Spires - (Kids Can Press, 2014) 32 pages.

A little girl wants to make something magnificent. She and her dog scheme and plan and hammer and glue, and then meet with frustration — her creation is not what she envisioned at all! If your creative child has ever had a big idea that didn’t come out the way he or she wanted, they will relate to this story of frustration and perseverance.

Wemberly Worried

by:
Kevin Henkes - (Greenwillow Books, 2000) 32 pages.

Many children will relate to Wemberly, a little mouse who has many worries. Wemberly frets about faulty playground equipment at the park, whether she’ll spill grape juice on her doll Petal, and whether she’ll fit in on the first day of school. By the time the frightening day arrives, Wemberly is full of dread. At school, the teacher introduces her to another girl mouse, Jewel. Making a new friend doesn’t magically fix things, of course, but it helps — a lot. When Jewel plays with her, Wemberly still continues to worry, “But no more than usual. And sometimes even less.”

The Salamander Room

by:
Anne Mazer - (Random House Children's Books, 1991) 32 pages.

In this lovely, gentle book, a little boy finds an orange salamander in the forest and takes it home. When his mother asks, “Where will he sleep?” The boy imagines a home suitable for a salamander, transforming his bedroom into a forest glen with trees to provide shelter and stumps to play on. The story is fanciful but the message is clear: we all have a responsibility to try to understand and nurture the creatures that inhabit our world.

What Elephant?

by:
Genevieve Cote - (Kids Can Press, Limited, 2008) 32 pages.

When George tells his friends that there is an elephant in his house, no one believes him — even he begins to have doubts himself. Everyone insists that the elephant isn’t there, even as the creature flattens George’s couch and snoozes in the flowerbed. When the elephant’s trainer comes looking for the runaway animal, George is reassured that the elephant is real. A playful look at the power of peer pressure, and the importance of thinking for yourself.

The Beckoning Cat

Yohei, a young boy who sells fish door to door, is very poor, but that doesn’t stop him from sharing his skimpy dinner with a bedraggled white cat. When Yohei’s father falls ill, he must figure out how to care for his father and continue selling fish. When Yohei’s father falls ill he must figure out how to care for his father and continue selling fish. The cat returns his kindness by beckoning potential customers to his door. Soon Yohei and his family are prospering. Based on a popular Japanese folktale, the story shows the power of generosity and friendship.

The Sorely Trying Day

When Father gets home from a difficult day at work, he finds his family in mayhem. Children and pets are squabbling. Everyone is angry but no one takes responsibility for what’s gone wrong. Even the pets get in on the blame game: when the dog scolds the cat, the cat turns on the mouse. Who’s to blame? Some of the language and illustrations in this classic are old-fashioned, but the message is timeless.

Juna’s Jar

Juna and her best friend, Hector go on adventures and collect the treasures they find in an empty kimchi jar. One day, Hector moves away without getting the chance to say goodbye, leaving Juna sad and lonely. With the support of her older brother, Juna finds comfort in her special jar, which she dives into at night to go on adventures in search of Hector. As Juna swims the depths of the ocean and swoops over the city, she gets the chance to mourn her missing friend and make new friends. Young readers will love the chance to help Juna in her search, as there is a secret tribute to Hector hidden on every page. A moving look at friendship and loss.

A Chair for My Mother

by:
Vera B. Williams - (Greenwillow Books, 1982) 32 pages.

Little Rosa doesn’t miss much. She is particularly perceptive about the adults in her close-knit family who work hard and don’t complain. After a fire destroys all the furniture in her home, Rosa’s mother is left without a place to relax after work. Rosa, her mother, and grandmother save their coins to buy her mother, “a wonderful, beautiful, fat, soft armchair.” Little Rosa is as eager as ever to get her mom her much-needed easy chair.

Ira Sleeps Over

by:
Bernard Waber - (Houghton Mifflin, 1972) 48 pages.

When Reggie invites Ira for his first sleepover, the boy is over the moon — until his sister asks (with older sisterly malice) if he plans to bring his teddy bear. Ira always sleeps with his beloved bear, Tah Tah. He’s embarrassed to bring the stuffie &mash; but also worried about not bringing him. “Reggie will laugh,” his sister tells him. “He won’t laugh,” his parents say. In the end Ira decides for himself, and learns he made the right choice.

Yoko Writes Her Name

by:
Rosemary Wells - (Hyperion Books for Children, 2008) 32 pages.

When Yoko writes her name on the first day of school, she proudly writes in Japanese. But her classmates call her writing scribble. “She won’t graduate from kindergarten!” they tell each other gleefully. At first, Yoko is hurt and doesn’t want to go back to school. But in the end, her classmates realize they have a lot to learn, and that Yoko can help them. Readers will get a lesson on tolerance. Plus, the book has common words on the corner of each page in English and Japanese.

Perfect for: Kids learning how to make friends and get along with others in school.

Amazing Grace

Grace loves stories and play-acting. So when she learns that her class will put on the play, Peter Pan, she’s thrilled. Grace is determined to win the lead role. But her classmates inform her that she can’t play Peter Pan because she’s a girl and she’s black. With encouragement from her family, she practices all weekend, aces the audition, and gets the part.

Julius, the Baby of the World

by:
Kevin Henkes - (Greenwillow Books, 1990) 32 pages.

Before her baby brother was born, Lilly was a doting big sister: she sang songs to him and told him secrets. But when her parents bring Julius home, Lilly decides “Babies are dreadful.” But when her cousin echoes her disdain for the baby, Lilly’s loyalty and love get the better of her jealousy.

Thunder Cake

by:
Patricia Polacco - (Philomel Books, 1990) 32 pages.

A little girl is so frightened by an impending thunderstorm that she runs and hides under a bed. Her grandmother comforts her by promising to make Thunder Cake. As the storm gets closer, the girl and her grandmother get busy preparing the cake, and the girl realizes that storms aren’t so scary after all. The book, based on the author’s own experience as a child on her grandmother’s Michigan farm, includes a recipe for the special cake.

The Gardener

During the Great Depression, poverty forces Lydia Grace Finch’s family to send her to the city to stay with her grumpy Uncle Jim, a baker. In her suitcase she brings seeds and bulbs from her family’s farm, and the flowers she grows brighten Uncle Jim’s bakery — but not his mood. Lydia hopes that her secret project, a rooftop garden, will make Uncle Jim happy once and for all. The story is told through Lydia’s short letters, which express her appreciation for life, even during the toughest of times.

The Kissing Hand

School is about to start and Chester, a small raccoon, is afraid. He tells his mother he doesn’t want to go to school and wants to stay home with her. So she tells him about a family secret about the kissing hand — and it makes school as cozy as home. A sweet, reassuring story that shows kids how to comfort themselves and reminds them that no matter where they are, their parents love them.